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Pack up your family and join the fun July 4th in Pigeon Forge, TN at Patriot Park to celebrate America's birthday!
Your family will absolutely love to celebrate Independence Day in the beautiful Smoky Mountains at the 23rd Annual Patriot Festival. Festivities will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on July 4. The Patriot Festival is FREE and open to the public. The Patriot Festival spans and afternoon and evening of great food, games, entertainment and a firework finale! Patriot Park is located on Old Mill Street at traffic light number 7 behind the historic Old Mill. Take advantage of the city parking lot on Teaster Lane with a trolley shuttle going to Patriot Park. At 1:00 in the afternoon, the Kids Carnival begins. Kids will love the free Kids' Karnival zone with inflatables and games.
Stand and participate in "Veterans Salute." Veterans appreciate the military salute at the Pigeon Forge Patriot Festival. We can never thank them enough. The community of Pigeon Forge is always finding special ways to honor soldiers who served their time of military service. Businesses decorate with red, white and blue to celebrate America. The annual Patriot Festival is a great way to celebrate Independence Day and show appreciation for all men and women who serve.
Sample a rich variety of foods for sale by local organizations. From churches to scout troops, the city of Pigeon Forge has no shortage of great cooks who sell their local delicacies for the benefit of the local community. Whether you crave a corn dog or a cupcake, the Pigeon Forge Patriot Festival is a great place to discover the flavors of the Smoky Mountains.
Fans who come to enjoy the music should bring a lawn chair (no umbrellas, please) and prepare to enjoy an outstanding lineup of live musical entertainment.
After an opening performance by the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus, the band entitled "Hotel California" will serve as the opening act for Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.
Over 50 years ago, Larry, Steve, and Rudy Gatlin started singing in their little hometown of Abilene, Texas, and from there went on to make music history. Over the course of a four-decade career that has taken the Gatlin Brothers from dusty Texas stages to White House performances, from Broadway to Grammy Awards to the top of the country charts, there has been one unifying element, music. There's no harmony quite as pure as family harmony. This is what makes Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers the perfect performers for the Pigeon Forge Patriot Festival.
"Hotel California A Salute to the Eagles" is the name of this fantastic tribute band scheduled to perform at the 2013 Patriot Festival. The band, comprised of five respected, multi-talented top music industry professionals, presents a dynamic exciting show saluting the music of The Eagles, a supergroup whose music has proven to have a staying power that few bands lay claim to. Finally, audiences can once again experience the energy and magic of this timeless music.
Great harmonies have been enjoyed by audiences at festivals across North America and around the world. Hotel California is going to be a hit for this year's Patriot Festival.
At the conclusion of all musical performances, the Pigeon Forge night sky comes to life with a fantastic fireworks display. The fireworks usually start at 9:30 to 9:45 pm, so keep your eyes on the skies. You won't want to miss this display in Pigeon Forge July 4th while we celebrate our great nation.
Related Articles:
Gatlinburg 4th of July Parade - famous for its unique midnight start time making it "First July Fourth Parade in the Nation!"
Pigeon Forge Patriot Festival - a family friendly event with great entertainment, food, games and, of course, fireworks.
4th of July Whitewater Rafting Trip - a fun excursion through class III and IV rapids with lots of splashing and smiles all around.
Join us for a family fun 4th of July Celebration! Gatlinburg also plays host to the Gatlinburg Midnight Parade - the FIRST July 4th parade in the USA! IT starts at 12:01 a.m. on the parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.


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Genetic changes are almost certainly behind many cases of autism, and the latest research suggests that some of those alterations may be contributing to more densely connected networks of brain nerves.
A highly interconnected brain could mean that signals zooming from sensory nerves to other networks become too overwhelming to parse apart and process, which researchers believe is a hallmark of the autistic brain. And in a study published in JAMA Psychiatry, Stanford University researchers report that this pattern of hyperconnectivity in some brain areas could provide a fingerprint for autism that helps doctors to recognize the condition at its earliest stages.Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/27/unique-brain-pattern-could-predict-autism-in-youngest-children/#ixzz2XRcAe4wS

subset: commoncrawl


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Heart & Chest Pain Center
Memorial Hospital's Heart Center is a state-of-the-art facility with a team of cardiologists, nurses and technicians trained in treating heart attacks and general heart disease. Our team is committed to providing you fast, quality care to help you get back to the things you love the most.
The Heart Center is one of the largest dedicated cardiac centers in northeast Florida, with over 10,000 patients treated annually. It is located on the north end of the hospital and has its own entrance, valet parking and waiting room. For the location, view a video or see a map.
Memorial Hospital's Heart Center is:
- An area leader in Heart Surgery, earning the highest possible rating, 3 stars, from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).
- The only Blue Distinction Center + for Cardiac Care in Jacksonville.
- Certified by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
- A U.S. News and World Report's "high performing" hospital for Cardiology & Heart Surgery, scoring in the top 25% of hospitals.
- An area leader with our average door-to-balloon time of under 60 minutes.
- Services A-Z
- Advanced Technology
- Ambulatory Surgery Centers
- Bariatric Surgery
- Bone & Joint Center
- Breast Center
- Cancer Care
- Diabetes Education
- Emergency Care
- Gastrointestinal Center
- Heart/Cardiology
- Imaging & Diagnostics
- Lung Services
- NeuroSpine Center
- Outpatient Services
- Psychiatric Health Services
- Robotic Surgery
- Spine Clinic
- Valve Clinic
- Women's Center
- Wound Care


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'Couples often have different sleeping habits and preferences for room temperature and mattress firmness,' said Cathy Linder, director of marketing research at Tempur Sealy. 'It takes communication to create a welcoming, sleep-ready bedroom environment.'
Getting some shut eye means creating a space that's conducive for sleep. And that usually means a great mattress placed in a dark, quiet room. The survey results back this up - for 79 percent of those surveyed, a comfortable bed is the key to getting a good night's rest.
Following are some ideas that experts say can benefit both of you in your search for sweet dreams at night - and an enhanced relationship during the day.
* In-store mattress auditions: Don't be afraid to take a nap in the store. According to the Better Sleep Council, you'll be happier with your mattress if you test it out in the store for longer than a few minutes. For two people to sleep side-by-side comfortably, try to get a queen or a king size mattress.
* Prevent turbulence: Twenty-nine percent of people say their partner's tossing and turning keeps them awake at night. To minimize disturbances, invest in a new mattress that doesn't transfer motion, so when your sleep partner moves, you don't. Tempur-Pedic brought this benefit to the market, and illustrated it with their famous 'wine glass test' that shows a steady (and full!) wine glass even as someone jumps on the bed.
* Turn off technology: In today's 24/7 world, it's hard to unplug completely. According to the survey, 30 percent say they sleep in a high-tech zone and 25 percent say that their partner's late-night TV watching keeps them up at night. Banning phones, tablets and TV in the bedroom can help your body power down.
* Sync up bedtimes: It can be quite a challenge for night owls and early birds to get on the same sleeping schedule. But it's worth making an effort with 28 percent saying that going to bed at the same time as their partner is essential to a good night's sleep.


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The opening exhibition of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Design. Conceived by the Vienna-based architect and designer, Hans Hollein, this exhibition examines the meaning, realities, problems, and possibilities of design in everyday life. Objects of daily use, such as a piece of cloth or a hammer, take on new dimensions and depths of meaning as they evolve and adapt in the context of different places, people, and times. An international group of leading architects and designers collaborated on the show, including Nader Ardalan, Peter M. Bode, R. Buckminster Fuller, Murray Grigor, Arata Isozaki, Richard Meier, George Nelson, Karl Schlamminger, Ettore Sottsass, O. M. Ungers, and Hans Hollein.
Sponsored by The Johnson Wax Company.


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I am getting a compile error.
Using FlexBuilder3 (3.4.1 SDK).
FlexUnit 4
I have the 5 swc files in my project's lib folder.
Here is my code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:WindowedApplication xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml"
layout="absolute" creationComplete="init()">
import flexUnitTests.TestSuite;
import org.flexunit.runner.FlexUnitCore;
import org.flexunit.listeners.UIListener;
private var core:FlexUnitCore;
public function init():void {
core = new FlexUnitCore();
core.addListener(new UIListener(uiListener));
<adobe:TestRunnerBase id="uiListener" width="100%" height="100%" />
This is the error: Could not resolve <adobe:TestRunnerBase> to a component implementation.
(this question was also posted on an existing thread)
Please advise.
Roy P.
Which swc files do you have in your build path?
Also, make sure you take a look at this:
https://flexunit.tenderapp.com/faqs/known-issues/uilistener-not-found- testrunnerbase-errors-and-other-resource-issues
Thanks for the response.
I must have missed the step that said to include the .swc in the build path. I have it in my project/libs folder and have updated the build path to have that folder. The specific .swc I am using is flexunit-4.0.0.swc. Do I need another?
When I include other .swc files in the libs directory (e.g., flexunit-uilistener-4.0.0.swc), I get other compile errors. When I have only flexunit-4.0.0.swc, I get the compile error noted in my original posting.
I looked at that web site (and a host of others) and have not been able to resolve my compile error.
Please advise.
Roy P.
First thing to check. Since you are using the 3.x SDK, are you using a 3.x version of FlexUnit ore one built for 4.
If you want to double check, you can download the latest 3.5 (which will work fine with 3.4 as well) build from here.
I would consider getting rid of the libraries you have, puting these in place so we know we have a clean starting point and then I can help more.
Hi Mike,
I split things up a bit and added two .swc files to my library path. I get a clean build now.
Do you happen to have a good example of how to implement FlexUnit4 into a FlexBuilder 3.x SDK? I've looked on the 'net and it looks there are about 15000 examples, but most of them are dated (later 2008 / early 2009). An example of how to use FU4 in FX3 will be helpful (or even FU3.5 with FX3.4). I am unable to find any examples that I can use for those.
Also, we are contemplating going to FlashBuilder4.1 and may also need a good example of implementing FlexUnit4 in that SDK as well. (I have found some tutorials, but I have some confusion on the implementation as described therein.)
As always your assistance is appreciated.
Roy P.
I found a good example of how to use FlexUnit4 with FlexBuilder3 at this location: http://sberka.blogspot.com/2009/08/using-flexunit-4-with-flex-3-sample .html.
Also, something that is made in passing (at least it looked to be hidden in some set up notes) is the need to make sure you include the .swc files for FlexUnit4 in your library path (project settings). For ease of use, it may be helpful to have those .swc files in a central project so it can be included in all relevant applications.
The question has been answered, but not directly by anyone else. I had to look and scour for good and relevant (and easy to understand) examples of how to use FlexUnit4 with FlexBuilder3.
FlashBuilder4 is a bit easier to use with FlexUnit4, but there are some significant changes between FlexBuilder3 and FlashBuilder4 that can trip you up. The learning curve of going from Fx3 to Fb4 is not insurmountable and the benefits of doing so may be very much worthwhile to pursue.
Roy P.
Flexunit is an open source project maintained entirely by volunteers, so feel free to add anything you would like about setting this up in FlexBuilder here:
http://docs.flexunit.org/index.php?title=Setting_up_a_FlexUnit_4_Proje ct


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Help for the guys: build the perfect new year's outfit
I'm not a menswear expert. A menswear aficionado, yes. But an expert? No sir. I've asked Alex Yakovleff, my favorite local men's style blogger, to weigh in on what the heck guys should wear on New Years. He dipped into his closet to put together three looks that will be easy for any man to replicate.


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Topic: Peoria (Arizona)
All Content
Runaway convert case: family issue or test of sharia law in US?
A Muslim girl who converted to Christianity in Ohio fled her family because she said she felt her life was in danger. A judge ruled Tuesday that the family must discuss their religious views, though they are not required to meet in person.
12/23/2009 10:26 am


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About Us
NES Remix 2
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My Settings
posted 11/15/2007 by
John Yan
other articles
by John Yan
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Harmonix is no longer affiliated with the Guitar Hero franchise as they are off to do their own new musical game. The guys at Neversoft have taken over though so the series is in good hands. Does Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock live up to the previous two?
The basic premise of the game remains the same so I won't go too much into how the games' played. Guitar Hero III is a musical rhythm game whereby notes fly down on a line. You have to use a guitar peripheral to match the notes when they hit the timeline and strum when it reaches to that point. The guitar also features a whammy bar which changes the pitch on long notes. You'll see notes in groups of two and three along with the single notes that come at you. The more notes you play in succession, the higher your multiplier is for your score. Some notes will be shaped in a form of a star. Successful completion of the group of notes shaped this way will add to your Star power. Once you build up enough Star Power, you can unleash it by tilting your guitar up and doubling your current multiplier. Really, if you don't know how Guitar Hero's played by now you've probably been in a cave for the past few years. Let's move to what's different for the series.
For the career mode, you'll see little vignettes between sets that are in the cartoon style of the Gorillaz. It tells a story without any spoken words on the life of your band and why you are playing a certain venue. If you play in co-op mode, you'll see different vignettes as well. It's a little better than just seeing a van roll to the next venue and they are a little fun to watch between sessions.
Gameplay has been tweaked a bit here and there. There seems to be more emphasis on hammer-ons and pull-offs in this version and the spacing for these to happen can now vary from notes close together to changing from one long note to another. The game seems to be more forgiving with when you strum the bar as well along with being more forgiving for pulling hammer-ons and pull-offs. I wasn't as good on Guitar Hero II with the two maneuvers but I found myself hitting a higher percentage of them in the third game when the guitar worked. Now there's a problem though with missed notes and strumming that I'll talk about when discussing the guitar but I hope it's an issue with the software rather than the hardware so a patch can be released to fix it.
A nice feature of Guitar Hero III is that when you start hitting large note streaks, it will flash up a message letting you know. You'll also see a running count of notes you hit in a row so you can gauge how well you are doing. Sometimes it does seem to add a little pressure though when you see 200 note streak pop up and rather than being kept in the dark.
A major addition to Guitar Hero III is online play. For online play the PlayStation 3 seems to be broken for me. I never got any successful connections even with people having four green bars. I did a few message board scans and people are having problems with online play which is unfortunate. I'm sure they are working on the fix but it's been two weeks and still no go from my end. I'd like to have tried one song but I was never able to successfully connect to anyone playing online.
Battle mode is the new competitive mode offered in Guitar Hero III. In this mode, you try to knock the other player out by making him fail the song through missing notes. To increase the difficulty, you will be able to pick up power ups to shoot over to your opponent. You can string up to three different types of power ups to really mess them up. Left flip will mirror the fret board so notes appear on the opposite side you are used to. Double notes will increase a one note area to two, and two to three. Similarly, there's a power up to increase your opponent's difficulty. Another power up makes it so you can't play any notes until you shake your whammy bar enough. You can mess with the opponents fret board with one power up that causes it to blink and shake. There's also one that disables a fret note which you can get back by pressing it repeatedly. Not only can you unleash power ups but you can steal them as well. To really put a hurting on your opponent, send a combination of difficulty increase, double notes, and left flip to see them struggle immensely. If though both of you survive until the end of the song, the game goes into Sudden Death where power ups let you drain your opponents power bar and the first to lose all their power fails. I admit, the first time I saw Battle mode I thought it was really busy and didn't seem to fit in with the game. After playing through it with a few friends I think it's OK but we always went to Sudden Death unless we were playing Expert. Rare were the times we actually knocked someone out within the song. I think the feature's interesting and it's almost there but there needs to be a little tweaking here and there to make it fully enjoyable. It's a nice little addition though that I'm sure will be fine tuned more and more as each successive game in the series is released.
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Travis Rowley: Union Politics: One Big Racket
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Almost a year ago we discussed just how valuable an ignorant underclass is to the Democratic Party . And this week, several issues have served to remind us of a related political observation: Liberalism is the ideology of the mindless and emotional.
For proof of this allegation, we can observe the Left's favorite activity – taking from some in order to give to others.
Redistribution is linear and visible. Infants have the capacity to understand it.
Grab. Give.
Conversely, is a child likely to imagine a way in which a poor man could improve his lot in life without direct redistribution? How about millions of poor people simultaneously?
Comprehending free market capitalism – how millions of individuals pursuing their own separate interests can secure and deliver resources for vast numbers of people – is not so simple; which is probably why it took thousands of years for humans to figure it out.
For people to resist the temptation to have government directly assist the poor is an unnatural discipline.
Conservatism is learned. Liberalism is trite, and derived from our most basic instincts.
The Politics vs The Reality
Cheer up, liberals. Because the politics of this ideological competition doesn't favor the free market apologist – particularly as the culture of individualism continues to erode.
This week conservative Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer analyzed the issue of hiking the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour – the populist rallying cry Democrats have chosen for the 2014 elections. After the Congressional Budget Office reported that the Democrats' plan "would lift 900,000 workers above the poverty line" but would also "cost 500,000 jobs," Krauthammer explained, "We know that Democrats like to redistribute income, and they pretend it's always from the rich to the poor. What the CBO has shown, absolutely clearly, is that when you raise the minimum wage, you're redistributing income from one set of low income people to another set of low income people…There are going to be about half a million people who go from $7 an hour to zero…They're going to be destitute."
Krauthammer is exactly right. But that won't stop Democrats from pretending that there are no costs or tradeoffs in the real world, and that Republicans are disinterested in assisting the poor – instantly whipping up enthusiasm among the emotional, the envious, and the ignorant this election season.
Here in Rhode Island
If Rhode Islanders want an up-close look at how progressives manipulate the uninformed, they can head over to the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Providence, where socialist agitators continue to harass the Procaccianti Group – an Ocean State employer – in an attempt to form an officially recognized union.
Accompanied by City Councilman Luis Aponte (D) and City Councilwoman Carmen Castillo (D), dozens of employees allowed themselves to be organized into rally formation once again this week.
Curious minds had to wonder: By what measure do these workers contend that supporting the efforts of Unite Here – a prominent outfit of organized labor – will benefit them as a whole? On what grounds do they believe that these labor religionists are truly fighting on their behalf?
Have they forgotten that union-Democrats have held dominion over Providence's City Hall and the RI State House for decades?
Continuously considered to be "the worst place for business," Rhode Island's minimum wage is among the highest in the country. So is its corporate tax rate. Providence businesses suffer from one of the highest commercial property tax rates in the country – second only behind the folded City of Detroit.
These are hardly the hallmarks of a region being trampled by its business leaders. In fact, just over a year ago, RIPEC cited the State's high "cost of doing business" as a major obstacle to an economic recovery – the very thing that unions openly attempt to increase.
Today "more than a fifth of children in Rhode Island are living in poverty, and over 10 percent are in extreme poverty."
Providence fares even worse. "More than one in three children…[are living] in poverty." And the average annual income for Providence residents is short of $22,000.
Rivaling certain Providence neighborhoods, it was reported during the summer of 2011 that the "unemployment rate across the building trades [was] running between 25 and 40 percent" across Rhode Island. The secretary-treasurer of the RI Building and Construction Trades Council, Scott Duhamel, called this "unheard of" in the summer, when the unemployment rate is typically between 5 and 10 percent.
Yup, it's a real "workers' paradise" around here (well, perhaps for well-off union leaders it is).
But the progressive record matters little in Rhode Island. Unite Here – "through organizing" – specializes in turning "low-wage jobs into good, family-sustaining, middle class jobs."
Thousands of Rhode Islanders are still buying that crap. They want "fair wages." And they know of only one way to achieve them.
Grab. Give.
That's all they know. That's all they understand. And that's all progressive Democrats want them to understand.
Travis Rowley (TravisRowley.com) is the author of The RI Republican: An Indictment of the Rhode Island Left.
Related Slideshow:
Timeline - Rhode Island Pension Reform
GoLocalProv breaks down the sequence of events that have played out during Rhode Island's State Employee Pension Fund reform.
January 2009
Governor Don Carcieri makes pension reform a top priority in his emergency budget plan. His three-point plan included:
1. An established minimum retirment age of 59 for all state and municipal employees.
2. Elimination of cost-of-living increases.
3. Conversion of new hires into a 401(k) style plan.
See WPRI's coverage of Carcieri's proposal here.
Rhode Island's state administered public employee pension system only held 48% of the assets to cover future payments to its emplyees.
"This system as designed today is fundamentally unsustainable, and it is in your best interest to fix it" - Gina Raimondo
Check out Wall Street Journal's coverage here.
November 2010
Gina Raimondo defeats opponent Kernan King in the election for General Treasurer of Rhode Island using her platform to reform the structure of Rhode Island's public employee pension system. She received 201,625 votes, more than any other politician on the 2010 Rhode Island ballot.
April 2011
Raimondo leads effort to reduce the state's assumed rate of return on pension investments from 8.25 to 7.5%.
Her proposal includes plans to suspend the Cost of Living Adjustment (which allows for raises corresponding with rates of inflation for retirees), changing the retirement age to match Social Security ages, and adding a defined contribution plan.
May 2011
Raimondo releases "Truth in Numbers", a report detailing the pension crisis and offering possible solutions. She continues to work to raise public support for her proposal.
"Decades of ignoring actuarial assumptions led to lower taxpayer & employee contributions being made into the system." - Gina Raimondo (Truth in Numbers)
Read GoLocalProv's analysis of the report here.
Read the Truth in Numbers report here.
October 2011
Governor Lincoln Chafee and General Treasurer Gina Raimondo present their pension reform legislation proposal before a joint session of the General Assembly.
"Our fundamental goal throughout this process has been to provide retirement security through reforms that are fair to the three main interested parties: retirees, current employees and the taxpayer…I join the General Treasurer in urging the General Assembly to take decisive action and adopt these reforms."- Gov. Lincoln Chafee
October 2011
Head of Rhode Island firefighters' union accuses Raimondo of "cooking the books" to create a pension problem where one did not exist. Paul Valletta Jr. states that Raimondo raised Rhode Islanders' assumed mortality rate to increase liability to the state, using data from 1994 instead of updated information from 2008, and lowered the anticipated rate of return on state investments.
"You're going after the retirees! In this economic time, how could you possibly take a pension away?" Paul Valletta Jr (Head of RI Firefighters' Union)
Read more from the firefighters' battle with Raimondo here.
Check out the New York Times' take on RI's pension crisis here.
November 17, 2011
The Rhode Island Retirement Security Act (RIRSA) is enacted by the General Assembly with bipartisan support in both chambers. RIRSA's passing is slated to reduce the unfunded liability of RI's pension system and increase its funding status by $3 billion and 60% respectively, level contributions to the pension system by taxpayers, save municipalities $100 million through lessened contributions to teacher and MERS pension systems, and lower the cost of borrowing.
Read more from GoLocalProv here.
November 18, 2011
Governor Lincoln Chafee signs RIRSA into law. According to a December 2011 Brown University poll, 60% of Rhode Island residents support the reform. Following its enactment, Raimondo holds regional sessions to educate public employees on the effects of the legislation on their retirement benefits.
Read about how Rhode Islanders react to RIRSA here.
January 2012
Raimondo hosts local workshops to explain the pension reforms across Rhode Island. She also receives national attention for her contributions to the state's pension reforms. The reforms are given praise and many believe Rhode Island will serve as a template for other States' future pension reforms.
Read about the pension workshop here.
Read Raimondo's feature in Institutional Investor here.
March - April 2012
Raimondo opposes Governor Chafee's proposal to cut pension-funded deposits. She continued to provide workshops on the pension reforms.
December 5, 2012
Raimondo publicly opposes Governor Chafee's meetings with union leaders in an effort to avoid judicial rulings on the pension reform package. In response, Chafee issues a statement supporting the negotiations.
Read more about Raimondo's opposition here.
Read about Chafee's statement here.
March 2013
Led by the Rhode Island State Association of Fire Fighters, unions protest the 2011 pension reform outside of the Omni Providence where Governor Lincoln Chafee and General Treasurer Gina Raimondo conduct a national conference of bond investors.
Read about Raimondo's discussion of distressed municipalities here.
April 2013
The pension plan comes under increased scrutiny as a result of the involvement of hedge funds and private equity firms. Reports show that $200 million of the state pension fund was lost in 2012.
"In short, impressive educational credentials and limited knowledge of investment industry realities made Raimondo ideally suited to champion private equity's public pension money grab." - Ted Seidle (Forbes)
Read GoLocalProv's coverage of the State Pension Fund's losses here.
Read Ted Seidle's criticism of Raimondo in Forbes.
September 2013
Matt Taibbi publishes an article in Rolling Stone detailing Raimondo's use of hedge funds as a questionably ethical tool to aid with pension reform.
Read Taibbi's article in Rolling Stone.
Read GoLocalProv's response to Taibbi here.
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- Travis Rowley: Helen's Passion
- Travis Rowley: Hendricken, Progressives, and Homosexuality
- Travis Rowley: Hitting the Wall
- Travis Rowley: Hose the Firefighters
- Travis Rowley: Ignorance - Democrats' Best Friend
- Travis Rowley: Imagine No Democrats
- Travis Rowley: In Defense of Talk Radio
- Travis Rowley: Inside the Mind of a Labor Leader
- Travis Rowley: Ivy League Shame
- Travis Rowley: Jack Reed's Scam
- Travis Rowley: Left Wants Gays To Receive Magic Beans At Mass
- Travis Rowley: Left and Right - A Starting Point
- Travis Rowley: Lessons From Boston's Post-Bombing Lockdown
- Travis Rowley: Lessons From The Hunger Games
- Travis Rowley: Let it Trickle Down
- Travis Rowley: Liberalism's Bedrock of Lies
- Travis Rowley: Liberalism: The Source of Societal Rot
- Travis Rowley: Liberals and Criminals
- Travis Rowley: Libertarians: Party-Less and Powerless
- Travis Rowley: Liberty By Law
- Travis Rowley: Lies and the Left
- Travis Rowley: Lincoln Chafee - A Prince, Not a Pawn
- Travis Rowley: Living in a Universe of Lies
- Travis Rowley: Make Love, Don't Throw Condoms on Little Girls
- Travis Rowley: Marx and Labor
- Travis Rowley: Minority Report
- Travis Rowley: Month by Month Predictions for 2012
- Travis Rowley: Now Jim Langevin is Lying
- Travis Rowley: Obama's Failed Vision of Government
- Travis Rowley: Obamacare: Complete Disaster
- Travis Rowley: Outlaw Government Unions
- Travis Rowley: PSU Calls On Adults To Kick-Flip Their Skateboards
- Travis Rowley: Parking Tickets- Driving People
- Travis Rowley: Pension Reform? Or Pension Negotiations?
- Travis Rowley: Pilgrims and the Pope
- Travis Rowley: Plain-ly Ridiculous
- Travis Rowley: Political Blood
- Travis Rowley: Political Consequence
- Travis Rowley: Politics & the Pope
- Travis Rowley: Pro-Trayvon Liberals: Not Worth Talking To
- Travis Rowley: Profiles in Cowardice – Senator Jim Sheehan
- Travis Rowley: Progressives Offer No Progress
- Travis Rowley: Progressives: Liars By Religion and Trade
- Travis Rowley: Providence Student Union Ignores Blacks, Hispanics
- Travis Rowley: Public Unions Are Getting What They Deserve
- Travis Rowley: Public Unions Got Talent
- Travis Rowley: RI Needs More Rich People
- Travis Rowley: RI Needs More Rich People (Chapter 2)
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Jonathan Bainsworth
Poor Mr. Rowley. Doesn't realize he's a tool of the 1%...a chicken backing Colonel Sanders if you will. Mr. Rowley wants us to emulate the economic conditions of China with no labor unions or environmental laws....or air to breathe. We can all walk around with smog masks on after 18 hour work days then head back to the factory to our cozy bunk beds on the factory floors with our exhausted children who just finished the night shift at our side as we awake to a new day of exploitation and humiliation. Mr. Rowley doesn't know his history or he would understand that without unions there would be no middle class and you can trace the decline of the middle class in direct proportion to the decline of unions. Mr. Crowley also doesn't realize that if it wasn't for unions, he would be living out of a refrigerator box underneath the rt 95 underpass.
Now for the facts. The Walton Family has a collective wealth equal to the bottom 40% of the country. 95% of all economic gains since CEO and president George W Bush brought this country to the brink of a second great depression following Mr. Rowley's philosophy, have gone to the top 1%.
If you believe in Mr. Rowley's utopian economy in which one person would own all the wealth and the rest of the country was left to raise chickens in their backyards, then by all means follow this buffoon and destroy what's left America's middle class and what's left of America and democracy for that matter.
lupe fiasco
"Yup, it's a real workers paradise here (well, perhaps for the well-off retired State Troopers it is). I love when the Beaver spouts off on unions but fails to mention that he was brought up with all the benefits of the worst union whore of all, the son of a trooper who never paid a dime into his own pension!
Sammy Arizona
Nothing new here folks. just more of Rowley's weekly, regurgitated, tired, old, right-wing-nut talking points, What utter nonsense,
70+ years ago, FDR signed the minimum wage law, since then the Right-Wingnut-rubes have strongly opposed every increase (even of just pennies per hour) with false predictions of economic doom, In those 70+ years, the American economy has grown to be the largest economy in the world. While millionaires like Limbaugh and Trump, and many others on the Reight, have called for the total abolition of the minimum wage.
They want the USA to be more like the conservative paradise Bangladesh were folks earn 17 cents and hour. and Children are paid 7 cents an hour, or less
What really creates poverty? How about things like the draft-dodging Mitt Romney outsourcing of jobs, conservatives who hire illegal alien labor, Republican opposition to minimum wage increases , Bush's , tax policy that creates incentives to close factories and move them overseas, etc. Good paying jobs are the best cure for poverty and the GOP stands firmly in opposition to anything which would actually create good paying jobs. They prefer a race to the bottom
Stephen DeNinno
The top 1% mantra.....When theres a lot take a lot....When theres a little? Take it all. Whether or not you care for unions, the reality is they protect the middle class. I fear the future of the republic. Thomas jefferson wrote of the wealth being concentrated in the few, as a great danger to the country! The last time the discrepancy of wealth was so great? Right before the great depression. So whats the answer? The rich are not doing it themselves, wages and benefits for the average worker is at an all time low. The right thinks this is great! They pass laws that limit the power of unions, they get their trailer park, bible belt voters to toll the party line. Why? Because they will benefit? No because the left kill babies. Because there is a war on Christmas. Because they want to teach creation in their schools. All the while, people like Travis are laughing all the way to the bank. Ask yourselves this, how has the policy of unfettered capitalism done for you? Has your job been sent to India? China? We already know the wealthy have had no problem in this crappy economy. Then it's the unions, look what they have. I used to have that but they took it away, so I jealous of your benefits and want to steal them from you.
Gip H.
Mr. DeNinno, wages and benefits are down. "The right thinks this is great!" ????
You see, this is the problem. "Unfettered capitalism" didn't bring us here. Democrats and unions run RI. Obama and Dem policies have steered the nation for 5 years. The results are in. It's a pure disaster for the poor and middle class. The "right" resisted all of the policies that brought us here, but you are still under the impression that the "right" loves to see poor people suffer. Unbelievable.
Maybe Rowley is right. All you know is "Grab, Give"
William Suffik
Liberals can keep saying that the unions "created the American middle class" all they want. It's still not true. The American middle class was strong and thriving well before unions showed up on the scene. History.
Good article this morning, Mr. Rowley.
Jeremy Soninjer
Did Sammy really just say this? "Good paying jobs are the best cure for poverty and the GOP stands firmly in opposition to anything which would actually create good paying jobs. They prefer a race to the bottom"
Sammy, did you even read the article? The minimum wage hike will cost 500,000 jobs! This is what it is like to talk to you liberals. Republicans are concerned that the poor will lose their jobs. So they resist the legislation. And all you can conclude is that the GOP doesn't want to create good-paying jobs. You guys are just weird.
Art West
Gip H:
You've just summarily refuted all of the comments above yours in a short simple paragraph.
RI is and has been a Progressive, union-controlled paradise for decades. The Progressives have gotten virtually everything they've wanted. So the relevant questions to ask are:
Why is the state at the bottom for economic prosperity? Why is RI's middle class struggling? Why are many cities and towns near bankruptcy?
I would love rational, non-emotional answers.
Jonathan Bainsworth
Yes, Rhode Island's unions are so powerful. Gina Raimondo brags that the maintained 95% of the original scam reform. The powerful unions after months of negotiations get a few crumbs and even agree that unreturned ballots will count for a yes vote.....wow they are so powerful. Lets recap the powerful unions over the last ten years as they represented state workers. The state workers have had to take several furlough days, lost longevity, lost our pensions and haven't seen a cost of living raise in years. If they become any more powerful State workers will have to work for free.
Jonathan Bainsworth
The answer is tax the wealthy to the hilt and then when you're done tax them more . I they leave the state hit them with an exit tax and when they return (which they always do because no one wants to live business friendly states like Mississippi) hit them with a return tax and penalize them twice over for being ungrateful selfish bast#$@5!
Jeremy Soninjer
Jonathan, pointing to isolated battles that organized labor "lost" is pure distraction. The RI economy is by union/progressive design. Adjustments to pensions (done by DEMOCRATS! Even the Dems are sort of waking up.) is small potatoes. We're talking about how the economy is designed. All the laws favor the unions. Min Wage. High taxes. No right-to-work. Unfunded mandates. Etc, Etc, Etc
If you're still in denial, try to think of a more powerful entity than organized labor in the state? Who else has more influence at the Statehouse? Please.
James Hackett
So let me get this straight, Obamacare destroys jobs, the leftists running the EPA are destroying jobs, that communist banking bill known as Dodd-Frank is killing more jobs than anyone realizes, and the unions and leftists supporting all of this socialist garbage, claim the right is hurting the little guy/middle class??? The unionistas want to blame big corporations for destroying jobs and moving them overseas, but it's the unions themselves that created that dilemma - move or go bankrupt. In the face of Detroit, that petri dish of failed union/leftist policy, the left continues to spout that populist rhetoric, no different that Chavez/Maduro in Venezuela, or Castro in Cuba, purely designed for the ignorant. What don't you retards get….you owned Detroit and it is f'n DEAD!
Stephen DeNinno
Yup james, unions killed Detroit? Busiest Fire department, probably in the world, no raise in 10 years, starting pay 30K. Do me a favor, order the documentary BURN, Then tell me how unions killed Detroit. Funny thing about the rich, its so bad in the Democrat states, that's where most of them live! And we don't use the word retard. Let us get something straight, the rich have made more money, and paid less taxes than ever in history. I am not anti rich, however paying 15% taxes on investment income,(sitting on your fat ass) is ridiculous. Or 13% for Mitt.
Dave Johnson
In Rogue Island, the union workers are the new 1%'ers. They are making more money than private sector in every conceivable measuring metric that you wish to choose. Additionally, the union benefits and pensions are also substantially above private sector. Of course, these expenses need to be funded through taxes and fees on private sector businesses, but have now gotten so exorbitant that businesses and jobs are being driven away. This is fact, not opinion. Look at the unemployment rate, look at the tax rates. Unions have trashed RI.
James Hackett
Let's stay on topic. The union/leftist cabal is precisely what destroyed Detroit. The city has been run by radical left-wing socialist Democrats since 1962, all supported, wholeheartedly, by the unions. No Republicans - not ONE!!! The rich people fled. It's all your people who ran this pathetic city into the ground over the last 50 years. Watch all the little Michael Moore type propaganda you want. You are in denial, if you can't see what happened. "Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it." Rather prophetic for RI.
john paycheck
if the minimum wage increases, many employers will replace those jobs with machines or figure out a way to have fewer employees at the same overall cost.
you have an employee, they get sick, vacation, ealth insurance, payroll taxes, minimum wage increases, workers comp costs ,etc....
replace them with a machine - one time cost and the machine lasts for years. can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. it can pay for itself in one year.
is this a good thing? not really but this is what will happen. the fast food industry does not want to charge you $10 for a hamburger and their customers don't want to pay $10 for a hamburger because of an increase in minimum wage. they have no choice but to cut labor costs or they go out of business.
you have democrats that are so detached from the real world, they don't even realize this.
there used to be 3 people on a garbage truck now there is one driver and a robot picks up and empties the barrels.
the us economy is really hurting. everything is made elsewhere now - thank you nafta,etc..can anyone tell me one single thing Obama has done to help the us economy long term. just one thing.
if the economy picks up then all of a sudden labor is in short supply and you have to pay workers more. that's moving forward, not jamming minimum wage increases down our throats.
Jonathan Bainsworth
Mr. Hackett with all due respect, you are an incredible idiot. Your bagger friends due everything possible to obstruct government from working and then when it doesn't work complain. Unions did not destroy Detroit. Wall Street and George W. Bush destroyed Detroit by bringing us to the brink of a second depression. Detroit just never recovered from all the fed money that dried up to bail out Wall Street. Once again, 95% of all economic gains since CEO and businessman George W bush crashed the economy with your policies Mr, Hackett, have gone to the top 1%. But I know how much you right wing nut cases hate facts.
Jonathan Bainsworth
Obama tried stimulus money which is what we did to get out of the first great depression caused by Wall Street, but bagger nut cases obstructed him at every turn for total political reasons.
Jonathan Bainsworth
Jeremy do you want to know who has much more influence at the State House? The TeaParty. Just because a representative says he's a democrat it doesn't mean he or she is. The overwhelming majority of Democrats in the State House are DINOs (democrats in name only). From leadership on down they have done everything the Tea Party asks. The Progressives and liberals in RI are a small ineffective minority...believe me.
Stephen DeNinno
First to respond to James, you are just an ignorant bastard. Burn is a documentary following the only people trying to save Detroit, it's firefighters, the dangers they face and how they love their city. it also follows a Detroit firefighter paralyzed in a building collapse, and how he may lose his pension. To the burgers will cost 10 dollars crowd, Cheeseburgers are cheaper now than 10 years ago, so it really seems that with increased wages, comes cheaper prices. A study on that subject, claimed the price of a cheeseburger may rise 4 to 8 cents. Not 10 dollars like you idiots think. In New york state, 80 percent of bank tellers qualify for food stamps. This from a bailed out banking industry. The bottom line is, not how good an employee you are, but how much the rich can squeeze out of it's employees. This goes into every pay grade. Companies are doing more with less employees. Ask for a raise? Ha, there hundreds waiting to take your job. Good luck, keep eating what the rich are feeding you!
Dave Johnson
My guess is that Jonathan Bainsworth and Stephen DeNinno are union employees. It's completely understandable that you are in abject denial. Heck, I would be spouting the same rhetoric if I was a union guy.
But I'm a private sector guy, struggling like crazy to keep up with all the taxes, fees and endless regulations that the union-controlled GA keeps pouring out at me. I have no problem at all with union folks making fair wages. But there also needs to be fair opportunity for guys like me in the private sector to earn money, much of which is then siphoned off to pay you union guys.
A balance of give and take no longer seems to in effect in RI. As far as the GA/unions/state are concerned, it's all "take". Like I said, I really have no issue with you making/taking a fair share, but it's no longer fair. You guys are taking too much. Yes, I know you'll call me names and such, but just look at the numbers and all the recent state surveys in the past few years. RI economy is in the dumper, Providence is heading down exact same path as Detroit, and no one seems to care. We've got a bunch of ostriches in the GA, with their heads buried in the sand.....
Jeremy Soninjer
I don't think it's really worth talking to people who, in order not to have to reconsider their liberalism, will insist that the TEA PARTY has more influence over the RI Statehouse than the UNIONS (Bainsworth)
Or people who are blaming Detroit's bankruptcy on GEORGE BUSH and WALL STREET and the lack of BAILOUT MONEY available (Bainsworth).
Or people who think they're making a good point when they tell you just how many fires the firemen fight in Detroit (Deninno)....Who is STILL not recognizing that the CBO predicts that 500,000 people will lose their jobs with this minimum wage hike. Who cares how much the price of burgers will be? Who cares how busy or heroic the firefighters are?
As Gina Raimondo so eloquently puts it, this is about "Truth In Numbers"... But look how emotional Deninno and Bainsworth try to make everybody, speaking about the "1 percent" and how much firemen "love" Detroit.
Grow up, guys. This is how children think.
James Hackett
Yours is an emotion laden response meant to divert attention from the issue. The issue is the cause, not the effect. Were we arguing the effect, you have valid points. But we're not.
The cause of the problem in Detroit was a radical leftist, union supported Democrat bunch of thieves. Stephen, let me state it again, since you obviously have no understanding of relevant facts - NOT ONE REPUBLICAN IN THAT CITY FOR 50 YEARS!!!
They're all your people!!! Just what don't you get?? Your pathetic insistence on bringing into the argument the bogeymen of cheeseburgers, the rich, etc, is nothing but the typical leftist diversion when they have no answers, and, in fact, have a guilt complex.
Slimy, corrupt left-wing Democrat politicians bought off with union money destroyed Detroit. That is exactly why so many deserving men and women are losing their pensions.
Stephen DeNinno
How is the Republican's can blame Democrats at will without looking at their own faces in the mirror? Huge tax cuts to the very wealthy and corporations without cuts to services? Plus the two unjust wars we were involved in? This division we are seeing right here in this blog is an example of what's wrong. You claim you are a republican, but when minimum wage employees have to use TAXPAYER FUNDED WELFARE PROGRAMS.....Crickets? I am in agreement with you on Democrats weakness and the entitlement crowd. They are responsible for 50% of the state budget. Even Providence is in the social service business, which they should have no part of. James, I was a fire Captain in charge of 42 men and woman. My weekly salary for that responsibility was 944 per week. I hold a BS in organic chemistry, and could have made much more in the private sector. I took the job for the retirement security it provided. Now after I retired, you pull the rug away? They will not give my job back so what to do? Everyone had a hand in what happened in Detroit and in Providence. Democrats and Republicans. Ideological differences aside.
Dave Johnson
I totally agree with Stephen DeNinno about the tax cuts to the wealthy and the two horrid, useless wars that have killed/maimed thousands of our bravest young patriots.
However, the Democrats have had TOTAL control in Detroit and Rhode Island. It's not fair to say the GOP needs to share the blame. In those two disaster areas, the onus falls on Dems.
Jeremy Soninjer
1. Just look at all the topics you drift off into when others are trying to stay on just one. That is the liberal way. But allow me to confront each one of your irrelevant points.
2. "Everyone had a hand in what happened in Detroit and in Providence. Democrats and Republicans." To the extent that this is even remotely true, the point is this: LIBERAL policies have guided these cities. If any Republicans had a hand in it, it was only to serve the UNION BIG GOVT way.
3. Unjust Wars: Democrats supported the war efforts, no matter how much the left tries to rewrite history. War isn't just a Republican policy. You can keep pretending that it was "Bush's War," but the Dems are just as "neo-con"
4. Detroit: We're talking about Detroit, and you slither out of this pointed topic by pointing to a national policy of the GOP (tax cuts). This had nothing to do with the collapse of Detroit.
5. Min Wage employees use welfare: This could be your most egregious argument. You're pretending as if welfare is a Republican program. Hey, Stephen, guess what!! Republicans aren't for welfare either!!! Seriously, how dare you blame Republicans for WELFARE!! How's that for "crickets" ?
Stephen, you are a self-deceiving liar. I know for a FACT that the following was explained to you two weeks ago. The incentive to pay higher wages is lost if employees can nourish themselves off of the govt. You never responded to this reality. You had no answer to this basic lesson of Econ 101. Instead, you showed up two weeks later entirely ignoring it.
The argument that liberals want to increase the minimum wage in order to keep low-wage workers off of welfare is total bullshit.
6. And, dear God, someday, please, address the fact that the CBO predicts that 500,000 low-wage workers will lose their jobs if the min wage is increased. You STILL choose to ignore this.
Stephen DeNinno
Dave, there were few problems in cities and towns before the Republican Don Carcieri cut millions in state aid. This was the downfall of cities and towns. A small state tax raise would have saved homeowners thousands and saved Central Falls. (highest tax rate in state after BR) At least everyone would have shared the pain. Lastly, how did the pension systems get gutted? Was it the working guy, or the bankers and Wall st? And which politicians do they support? Please don't tell me Republicans didn't have anything to do with RI's problems. Tea party republicans and the sequester costs cities and towns millions in discretionary spending. And for all, almost every fire and police dept in the country, including Texas, have the same retirement system with same retirement age. So whats the problem?
Jeremy Soninjer
Almost forgot one:
7. "I took the job for the retirement security it provided. Now after I retired, you pull the rug away?" ... I assume you're talking about the fact that Republicans have always been the ones most willing to reform public pension systems (even though Democrats in RI have FINALLY come along, but only once the shit hit the fan)
Stephen, for your future use, here's the reality timeline of RI public pensions. For years, you contributed to your pension. Taxpayers also paid the taxes that were necessary to fund the pensions. The state was also supposed to contribute. But the state didn't contribute.
All along the way, Republicans warned of what was going to happen someday (the funds would dry up, and you would lose your pension). Union Leaders, Union Workers, and Democrats ignored the warnings and called Republicans "greedy" and "only for the rich." And YOU fell for it.
Over the years, taxes have been increased to delay the doomsday. RI Taxpayers have been raped by the government's malfeasance to the point that they are now among the highest taxed in the country, and they now suffer from the worst business environment in the USA. The average private salary in RI is 41k. The average public salary is 75k (plus pension and healthcare)
I hope you figure it out before "Central Falls" happens to you. Good luck.
You see, Republicans aren't trying to "pull the rug away"...Democrats and unions have been "pulling the rug," slowly, for years. Republicans tried to warn you.
So go screw yourself. You can't have any more extra tax dollars from me to pay for your unfunded pension system. Yes, you were robbed by Democrats and your own union leaders. But it's also your own fault at this point.
Jeremy Soninjer
"there were few problems in cities and towns before the Republican Don Carcieri cut millions in state aid."
Holy shit! RI had the highest property taxes in the country BEFORE Carcieri! RI initiated the "property tax cap" in the 1980s in response to this trend!
Carcieri was faced with multi-hundreds of millions in budget shortfall. Wisely, he refused to raise state taxes...AGAIN!!!... for the sake of the unions. RI was OUT OF MONEY. He made cuts, and tried to give the cities and towns the "tools" they needed to cut their own budgets. What were those "tools"??? The release of unfunded mandates that unions levy from the Statehouse that tie the hands of municipalities. Who wouldn't give them those "tools"....UNION DEMOCRATS.
Deninno, stop listening to your stupid union leadership. You have no clue what you're talking about.
Jeremy Soninjer
"A small state tax raise would have saved homeowners thousands and saved Central Falls." - S. Deninno
Holy Shit, again! Who is feeding you this nonsense??
"Lastly, how did the pension systems get gutted? Was it the working guy, or the bankers and Wall st?" - S. Deninno
Holy SHIT! The bankers and Wall St didn't fund the pensions?? Only a RI union fireman can come up with this stuff.
"Tea party republicans and the sequester costs cities and towns millions in discretionary spending." - S. Deninno
Holy SHIIIIT!! The sequester of 2013 caused RI's fiscal problems that have been in the works for decades?? The Tea Party? The sequester was OBAMA's idea! And it didn't "cut" anything. It was a decrease in the rate of federal spending.
"And for all, almost every fire and police dept in the country, including Texas, have the same retirement system with same retirement age. So whats the problem?" - S. Deninno
HOOOLLYYYY SHIIIIT!! What's the problem? Seriously? Stephen, OUR pension system's ARE NOT FUNDED!!! Oh. My. God.
People, this is how they (union leaders and progressives) teach our fellow unionized RI neighbors how to think. This is they kind of stuff that passes for informed and smart over there on the Democratic side of the aisle. Total ignorance.
john paycheck
Detroit died decades ago. the 1967 riot tipped the exodus out of the city.
G Godot
Haters like little Johnny Bainsworth can sure twist up histry. To bad some of us have lived here long enough to know he's full of it. Trying to place blame on GW Bush for the incompetence of generatons of dumbocrat handout artists makes me ROFLMFAO.
BTW, I'd say Travis ought to take a well considered shot at public office some day. How woould the SOMA peddling "Regressives" deal with that...by ignoring anything hw has to say and calling him names.
G Godot
Haters like little Johnny Bainsworth can sure twist up history. To bad some of us have lived here long enough to know he's full of it. Trying to place blame on GW Bush for the incompetence of generatons of dumbocrat handout artists makes me ROFLMFAO.
BTW, I'd say Travis ought to take a well considered shot at public office some day. How woould the SOMA peddling "Regressives" deal with that...by ignoring anything hw has to say and calling him names.
G Godot
Cranston firemen, retired and living in FLORIDA who still get a UNIFORM ALLOWANCe aren't part of the problem, oh no.
Art West
Thanks for your concerted effort to explain things. Maybe there are some independent thinkers reading this comment section who can see the truth in what you're saying.
I'm not sure the folks in the liberal/progressive/union camp are being disingenuous and rhetorical when their arguments about today's realities center on stuff like the one-percent, George Bush, taxing the wealthy, more government spending and the Tea Party. I think those thoughts come from a mindset that is seeped in envy, heavily conditioned, and one that cannot be penetrated with reason or common sense.
So it goes.
Stephen DeNinno
Jeremy, I never said wall st didn't fund the pension. What wall st did do was sell bad mortgage securities. It cost RI pension system 2 billion dollars in assets. It cost Providence 200 million dollars in assets. Plus the gains that money may have made. This was out and out fraud. But who got the bail out? BTW, I blame the Democrats in the GA for not funding the state pension system properly. I blame Buddy Cianci for not funding our pension at all or very little. We took him to court. Oh he was a Republican his first term and independant for the remainder. BTW although they didn't pay, I payed every single week, 10% of my pay and extra for the COLA we have not been getting. Laws need to be changed, and cities and towns with their own pension systems must be made to pay in fully funding the system. I would have loved to have control over my money but even when the system made returns in the 20 to 30 percent range, they gave me 5% on my deposits. The siquester was an example of why other cities around the country are having some difficulties. Not the cause of RIs problems. PS Providence pensions do not include clothing pay, holidays or overtime. But please don't tell me the Republicans have all the answers. Most conservitive think tanks want to steal our pensions and feed it to wall st.
bill bentley
What a hyperbolic blow hard. Its simpletons like you and Travis that break everything down to a meaningless either/or arguments. Your like a bunch of religious whack jobs. And I'm not supporting this mindset from the Progressive camp either (which can be viewed daily on this site). You and the progressives deserve each other. Maybe you'll feed on each others young and the rest of us can be left alone by you depraved devolved simple minded apologists.
G Godot
You union hacks better get your story straight...your hack union bosses USED to blame Bruce Sundlin for "spending all the pension money on the Credit Union bailout". Looks like that whopper has fallen from favor.
Art West
Thanks Bill.
Jeremy Soninjer
Sorry, Bill. That statement just won't do. Nice try, though.
You'll have to explain exactly where you think Art/Travis went wrong. You know, rather then pretend you're above the whole debate -- and all the debates within the debate.
Please tell us, Wise One, where the "simpletons" are going wrong.
bill bentley
Its the "hooray for our side" either/or mindset. Like if the country was just turned over to rational conservatives then everything would be peachy. Is that clear enough for you?
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong...
What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"
Michael Byrnes
Jeremy and Art,
We have always been in awe of Bill's superior intellect, but no one is more in awe than than Bill himself. You both make a big mistake asking for rational discussion from Bill. Jeremy is right, Bill is way above such mundane things. Isn't he great!
bill bentley
I Am great, thanks. its about time my superior species, the Übermensch, is recognized amongst the Herd.
Jeremy Soninjer
That's a great philosophy, Bill. Nobody's right. Pure brilliance.
Get a life.
Jeremy Soninjer
Conservatives: 2+2 = 4
Liberals: 2+2 = 7
Bill Bentley: You're all fools. I'll even quote a hippie folk song to prove it.
Russ C
"Almost a year ago we discussed just how valuable an ignorant underclass is to the Democratic Party."
Hard to image why the "vote for us, you morons" strategy isn't working. And let me get this straight, you think liberals are the elitists? Keep up the good work, Travis!
Ted Geisel
It's hard to imagine that the union rank and file haven't realized they are being betrayed. Unions have lost their clout in RI and we saw that with the pension reform that took place. Our Democrats have figured out they can do whatever they want. Who are the union members going to vote for??? The GOP? Look at who voted for the pension reform. Then look who received campaign contributions from the unions. The unions paid a lot of money to get those Democrats elected. Your union dues were used to elect people so they could make a run at your pension. Think about that.
Dave Johnson
Jeremy Soninjer is not mincing any words, LOL. But I gotta admit, I agree with Jeremy on most everything he's said so far.
In the great DeNinno vs Soninjer debate - I award the gold medal to Jeremy Soninjer!
bill bentley
I assumed the concept would be a bit much for an intellect such as yours. Maybe you should contemplate the words instead of trying to support your syllogistic mode of thought process.
Katy Sloop
There is a place for unions. They do protect workers from wage and workplace safety abuses. BUT...public unions need to accept the fact that local taxpayers can only pay so much until they become the ABUSERS of the regular working class people of RI. It's not that the 1% does not like payer exhorbinant taxes. The whole 50% of people in RI who actually work don't like to pay higher taxes than most other states. The 50% who don't go to work, don't pay taxes for years on end, and still live really well? Time to cut those benefits too! I don't see this Democratic Dictators in the General Assembly in any hurry to help stop the tax abuse that is rampant in RI. So, vote differently.
Katy Sloop
This won't work AT ALL:
"The answer is tax the wealthy to the hilt and then when you're done tax them more . I they leave the state hit them with an exit tax and when they return (which they always do because no one wants to live business friendly states like Mississippi) hit them with a return tax and penalize them twice over for being ungrateful selfish bast#$@5!"
All it will do is make the top tax payers in RI run for the exits even faster than they already are. You want a state full of entitlement takers? Good luck attracting any employers with that promotional campaign.
Jeremy Soninjer
Your comments are hardly too difficult for me to understand, Bill. You have a cynical point of view: Everyone (except for you, of course) is a dishonest, self-interested, hyper-partisan.
I got it.
Unfortunately, you can't escape your own intellectual trappings. Even if what you say is true, those who agree with you would now make up your own "party"...And now you are wide open to your own cynical outlook, and discredit right from the outset of all further conflicts.
So why don't you just man-up, and participate in pointed discussions. Tell us where you stand, rather than portraying yourself as an omniscient being. If nothing else, it's just annoying.
Katy Sloop
Poor confused Jonathan. Never talked to an tax preparer in his whole life and probably never paid any taxes either. It might surprise him to find out that the "wealthy bastards" he rails againt are already "taxed to the hilt." Income taxes are near 40% for the actual wealthy. US business taxes are the highest in the world. What, you want to get 60% from them so all your non-working, non taxpaying buddies can sit around and bitch about the 1% of income tax they pay? Get a good paying job. You'll think otherwise about taxes when you see how much of your hard work is taken by the government.
bill bentley
1st, my philosophy of ideas is like shell fishing with a rake, you pick up a lot of dirt to get to what you want. Everyone has, well most everyone, has a bit of the truth. The challenge is to work through the bullshit to get the clam.
2nd, if you have to categorize me, yes I may appear a cynic, but actually I consider myself a pragmatic optimist; a quasi Libertarian; and neither Democrat/Progressive nor Republican/Tea Party.
3rd, the point is that if everyone is categorically denouncing the other side then whose right? I say its you who are the cynic and really contributing very little to pragmatic solutions that try and take in as many varying points of perspective as possible. Just because you have an opinion, doesn't make you right.
Staying with me here?
Jeremy Soninjer
1. All I hear is someone whose personal philosophy openly declares that truth can never be discovered. Why? Because someone's personal "opinion" will eventually align with that truth. And, heck, that would just be someone's opinion!
You're weird, man. Go to your room and think this whole thing through again.
2. What makes you think that I mindlessly "categorically denounce" the other side? It's pretty arrogant to assume I don't approach each issue on its own merit. What the hell do you know? All you have is assumptions, and an elitist attitude that assumes you're the only one who has ever done any real thinking. Again, re-think this whole thing.
bill bentley
Try reading. I do agree that I think truth can be a difficult thing to approximate when talking about people's beliefs. That being said, I believe I said that the truth can be found in its small places, the example of Quahoging with a rake. What I have a problem with is declaring that any one ideology has a the whole truth and anyone who disagrees is wrong.
As to my comment about opinions, my point is that their like assholes everyone has one. Having an opinion doesn't make that opinion right, its made right by investigation and examination. When held up to the light of reason, the truth will be revealed.
If you supporting Travis, then you support categorically denunciation. Here are a couple of his quotes in the article to make my point.
"And this week, several issues have served to remind us of a related political observation: Liberalism is the ideology of the mindless and emotional.
Conservatism is learned. Liberalism is trite, and derived from our most basic instincts.
Grab. Give.
That's all they know. That's all they understand. And that's all progressive Democrats want them to understand."
Art West
Seems to me that "Grab. Give." is very accurate and observable.
The authentic conservatives and libertarians want to leave me alone and let me keep more of what I earn. The liberals and progressives want to use government force to tax me as much as they can and distribute the money to people who vote for them. They invariably want to increase spending and remain resistant to less costly and more efficient ways of doing things such as appropriate privatization of essential services and the alignment of budgets with actual revenues.
Unless you're living via a tax-free underground economy or live off a government check, that's objective reality, not opinion or belief. My wallet tells me so.
bill bentley
Art: ever ask yourself why we have social programs? Again, this either/or logic solves nothing. And I have freely admitted its not just conservatives engaging in these ridiculous uncompromising positions.
Jeremy Soninjer
Like singular ideas, not all ideologies are equal. To call liberalism "trite" and conservatism "learned" could be completely accurate (I happen to agree). But doing so doesn't have to mean that everything a liberal says is completely false.
You're misinterpreting Rowley's message, Bill. In fact, on a number of occasions I've seen Rowley agree with liberals, and criticize conservatives. So that sort of blows your whole argument out of the water.
Also, liberalism and conservatism don't just speak to a set of ideas, but also very different political cultures. If you value reasoned debate in order to discover truth, look to the Right. If you value political correctness and bullying, look to the Left.
bill bentley
You forgot, "some of Travis's best friends are (fill in the blanks)." Are you kidding me? Oh, and so now we have a cultural war, great. How about you all you insane fuckers leave the rest of us alone. Maybe we can carve out a few obscure quasi-states where all you hate filled assholes, including the Progressives, can embrace each other in misery.
Michael Byrnes
Obamacare short you on your meds. Your arguments seems increasingly categorical, but that can't be as you just accused others of such an irrational position. Additionally, you need to chill out and come back to a more civil and civilized manner of discussion. A little tolerance would not hurt either. I don't hear those who argue with you using terms like: hyperbolic blow hard; simpletons; religious whack jobs; an intellect such as yours; insane fuckers: and hate filled assholes. But then they are just common folk who don't know an awful lot and maybe just don't have the extensive vocabulary that you are blessed with. Why is it that they have to move to the obscure quasi-states and you do not? Sounds unfair. Get some rest.
Jeremy Soninjer
Bill, if you're looking to be "left alone," look to the Right as well. Look to the conservative ideology.
FOR THE MOST PART, conservatives/libertarians are the ones attempting to strip the government of its power over the individual.
William Suffik
LOL Jeremy. Bill, you walked right into that one!
I agree with Jeremy >>> Just because someone is a "Republican," and is naturally caught debating Democrats, that doesn't necessarily make that person a partisan hack who is necessarily being disingenuous and necessarily straying far from the truth. He just might be, well, a REPUBLICAN! >>>> And, Bill, whenever you think you're onto something, and you think you're schooling everyone down here, just remember this: That is just YOUR opinion.
But I understand >>> You're one of the enlightened ones. You "rake" for your thoughts. LOL. So, exactly how elitist are you?
bill bentley
Elitist enough to recognize when the herd is cowing.
bill bentley
Jeremy: Your a deluded individual. Fascism does not elevate the individual. And conservatives and libertarians are not the same animal.


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A 4SquareMedia Website
SmartHouse | SmartOffice | ChannelNews
Web www.smarthouse.com.au
Pros: This is a neat easy to use PVR that overcomes a lot of the complexities of a more expensive PVR. It has attached storage and access to over 1500 movies which alone is a single reason to purchase.
Cons: On the downside I would like to see an additional tuner so that a user can record two programs and watch a third. One option for Telstra is to offer a $499 T-Box that has a larger drive and three tuners along with Wi Fi.
T-Box A Low Cost Option To Foxtel
By David Richards | Friday | 17/09/2010
IPTV, which allows movies to be streamed to a TV, is starting to take off in Australia and the recent release of a new IPTV offering from Telstra has given the entire category a kick along due to the introduction of a simple, but highly effective, personal video recorder called the T-Box.
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A legendary resort - a landmark renovation. The all-inclusive, 730-room Sunset Jamaica Grande Resorts continues the celebration of its multimillion dollar rebuild and refurbishment. A beautiful white-sand beach – the longest in Ocho Rios – fringes the resort.
* 2014 Sunny Charter Sale - Must book by 04/30/14 and all travel must be completed by 12/18/14. Save up to 70% on Hotel Stay. PLUS book travel to be completed between 4/21/14 - 12/18/14 and up to 2 kids (ages 0-12 years old) stay FREE when accompanying 2 paying adults. 3-night minimum stay required. Offer reflected in advertised package price. In order to receive this special offer, you must select the room category that identifies the promotion when booking. Offer subject to availability and may change without notice; valid for new bookings only. Additional restrictions apply. See bottom of page for Getaways Terms and Conditions.
Inspired by the refreshing and majestic Jamaica Blue Mountains and the clear, calming Caribbean Sea, the new Aqua Azul Spa offers you an escape for the senses .
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Spa facilities include three wet rooms offering a host of hydrotherapy treatments, single and two couples massage rooms, two facial rooms, and separate steam and sauna facilities for men and women. Salon services include hair, makeup and manicure/pedicure treatments.Open daily from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Five lavish pools wander through this beachside complex, featuring waterfalls, plunge pools, swim-up bars and a swaying rope bridge. Known for its wide range of "fun in the sun" daytime activities, guests can also enjoy an abundance of fun after the sun goes down.All Inclusive Features:
A buffet-style, open-air restaurant overlooking the Three Rivers Pool, meandering river and waterfalls and the sparkling Caribbean Sea. Dress Code: Casual dress. Hours: Breakfast - 7:00am to 10:00am, Lunch - 12:15pm to 2:30pm, and Dinner - 6:30pm t0 10:00pmGinger Lily
Reservations required. Savor Asian favorites infused with Caribbean flavor at Ginger Lily. Dress Code: Casual Elegance. Hours: 6:00pm to 9:00pmLa Diva Italian Restaurant
Reservations required. Featuring classically prepared Italian cuisine in an elegant setting. Dress Code: Casual Elegance. Hours: 6:00pm to 9:00pmSouth Beach Bar & Grill
Inspired Caribbean/Jamaican fusion dishes are offered in a lovely al fresco atmosphere. Reservations required. Dress Code: Dressy resort wear. Hours: 6:00pm tp 9:00pm*Dress code- In the a la carte restaurants, they request that you wear tasteful, dressy resort wear. At La Diva and Ginger Lily, long pants are required for the men, at South Beach Restaurant dressier shorts are appropriate, At The Grand Terrace dress code is dressy resort attire. Caribbean Beach Party
Every Tuesday evening, celebrate everything Jamaican with a weekly beach party. Tiki torches line the way to an evening of steel drum music, beachfront bonfires, and a sumptuous Jamaican-style buffet. Irie mon!Bars
The resort`s eight bars are great places to unwind and socialize, choose from beach bars and swim-up bars to lobby bars and a nightclub. Or test your luck in the casino, home to electronic black jack and 80 slot machines.Pirates and Wenches Party
Become a Pirate of the Caribbean every Tuesday! Bring a pirate costume with you or attend pirate costume making class. Come 6 p.m., the beach will be transformed to "Port Royal" and enjoy a lavish buffet of Jamaica specialties. This party is not to be missed.The Grande Catch
The newest innovation at Jamaica's most authentic travel experience the Jamaica Grande. Overlooking the picturesque Ocho Rios Bay, The Grande Catch, is an exclusive dining experience available to Jamaican Grande guests.
Located in both the South and North Pointe Towers. Standard View rooms feature one king or two double beds and private balcony. Views vary by room location and are typically views of the resort or resort town of Ocho Rios. Non-ocean view rooms. Maximum occupancy is two adults with three children or three adults.Oceanview Room
Located in both the South and North Pointe Towers. Ocean View rooms feature one king or two double beds and private balcony. View of the lush hillside landscape of Ocho Rios and/or partial Ocean View of the sparkling Caribbean Sea. Maximum occupancy is two adults with three children or three adults.Oceanfront Room
Located in both the South and North Pointe Towers. Ocean Front rooms feature one king or two double beds and private balcony. Ocean Front rooms offer direct beachfront views of the sparkling Caribbean Sea. Maximum occupancy is two adults with three children or three adults.Cabana Beach Front
Located in the two-story Cabana wing at South Pointe. All rooms have King sized beds and Private patios with direct Beachfront views. This intimate room location is recommended for Wedding Couples and Honeymooners. Maximum occupancy is two adults.Smoking is not permitted in hotel rooms and in air-conditioned sections of the hotel.


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Soft-Knit Scarf with Pom-Poms - Black
$9.00 Our Price
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Bring a little fun back to your accessories! This adorable knit scarf is cute, cozy, and the perfect pop of fashion to add a kick to your outerwear look. Wraps things up with a soft textured knit and show your unique style by sporting this adorable pom-pom-detailed piece. Get through the winter in style! Want to know more? • Accessory style gets a twist in the charming details of this soft-knit scarf • Cozy textured knit • Cute pom-poms at ends give this scarf a unique style • A fabulous way to have fun with style • Synthetic fiber


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Sparkling band bracelet covered with line after line of brilliant, faceted acrylic gems. Includes a shiny silver heart shaped clasp accented with a clear bright rhinestone. Bracelet is flexible, with a non-binding, comfortable black faux suede interior. By Bead Landing™. Color: Pink. Size: 1-1/8 inch wide.
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"What's Elle skiing now? Gold Hill?" people ask us, only half-joking. When you grow up in a place like Telluride, it's virtually a given that you're going to be a ripping skier, right?
Never mind that the kid is not even four years old. Who in Telluride hasn't yet seen a pint-sized person carving turns at mach speed down Misty Maiden? City kids learn early how to navigate things like the subway. Mountain kids, meanwhile, are essentially born with skis on, capable of plotting a course down Kant-Mak-M as effortlessly as if they were crossing the street. Just as kids raised in Boston are genetically predisposed to be Red Sox fans, kids raised in Telluride inherently adore rocketing down snow-covered slopes.
Well, mostly. Except for my kid.
When I ask Elle if she likes to ski, she readily accedes that she likes to drink marshmallow-soused hot chocolate. Apparently, that cup of lukewarm brown liquid waiting at the bottom of the Meadows is the only compelling reason my daughter has to suit up and hit the slopes.
"But, isn't it fun to, you know, put your skis on and go zooming down the hill? The wind in your face…sun up above…snow sliding beneath your feet?"
Elle looks at me like I just asked her if she would like Swiss chard mixed in with her mac 'n cheese. Or if she wants to help me fold underwear.
When picking her up from ski school, her instructors inform me that she certainly has the ability to ski, she just doesn't really want to. "She's capable of skiing the Meadows, but she doesn't really have any desire to leave the Magic Carpet," they tell me, week after week.
And week after week, I suppress the urge to panic. My child doesn't really want to ski? She has no desire to explore the ski mountain located literally at her back door? But she's the daughter of ski bums! Shouldn't skiing be hardwired into her being, just as greyhounds are born to run? Shouldn't a ski town kid heed the call of the lift line like a salmon driven instinctually upriver to the place of its birth? Has the ski-obsessed gene inexplicably deserted the Davis/Prohaska family?
I am reminded by more levelheaded parents that Elle is barely four years old. That it will probably just take her a little while to get "into" skiing. That I shouldn't worry, my kid will graduate from the Magic Carpet some day. And, she'll actually be happy about it. That given enough time, she probably will grow up to be a well-rounded ski bum herself; a ski town bunny whose memories of her formative ski years aren't comprised entirely of sitting in the base lodge before a mug of cocoa overflowing with mini-marshmallows, ignoring her parent's piteous pleas to take just one more run!
Which brings me to my recent ruminations on how a parent should reconcile their child's likes and dislikes with their own. Despite our well-intentioned resolutions that we'll be proud of our children regardless of what they choose to do with their lives (barring those things that could land them in prison), there is a part of every parent that secretly hopes to live out some Archie Manning-style fantasy. That our kids will take what we're passionate about, and expound upon it. Become the MVPs of Ski Bums, Inc.
Is it crazy to assume that a child born unto the ski town culture at least enjoy the sport, even if they don't blossom into the next Lindsey Vonn? Is it presumptuous to expect that the offspring of career ski bums be, at the minimum, a devoted skier?
I suppose only time will tell for the Davis/Prohaska clan. In the meanwhile, Elle's father and I will continue to try to convince our child that skiing is awesome. And if getting her out on the slopes means bribing her there with promises of marshmallow-puffy mugs of hot cocoa, so be it.


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Party Recipe: Chewy, Sweet & Salty Ritz Cracker Cookies
Ritz cracker cookies are humble and homely, but always a hit. And aren't those always the best sort of treats?
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup dried dates
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 to 1/2 pound Ritz crackers (1 to 2 sleeves of crackers)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the walnuts in the bowl of a small food processor or chopper and blitz them for about 15 seconds, or until ground until small pieces — not into dust or a paste. Add the dates, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue blending until the mixture is finely chopped. (See photo above for reference.)
(Note: You can do this without a food processor, but it will be more time-consuming. Chop the dates by hand until they are very fine, pieces no more than 1/8-inch to a side. Finely chop the walnut as well.)
Place the chopped walnuts and dates into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and pour the sweetened condensed over them. Stir thoroughly, then turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from scorching. Heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the mixture darkens slightly and pulls away from the sides of the pan. (Refer to photo above; it will no longer be liquid. It will be a thick, gooey, sticky mixture.)
Turn off the heat. Use a small spatula or spoon to spread the mixture on the crackers. Personal taste should dictate how much you spread on each cracker. My grandmother places just a dab on each cracker; my mother and I use a heaping mound. Up to you! It won't affect the baking time.
When the crackers are covered, bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the crackers are just slightly more golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
To make the glaze, place the 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a large glass measuring cup. Whisk in the cinnamon. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking vigorously. Whisk in the vanilla, and continue whisking until no lumps remain.
Drizzle this glaze over the cooled cookies, and let them stand for another few minutes to let the glaze firm up.
These keep very well in a covered container. They also can be frozen in a well-sealed container for up to a month. For this reason they are one of my family's favorite make-ahead party sweets.
Related: Toffee Cookies with Dark Chocolate Glaze
(Images: Faith Durand)
19 Comments
it looks weird but I like all the ingredients so I think I'll try it!
Yeah, these look a little cat food-y but I'm pretty sure it's delicious based on what's in them. I'm on board!
(Maybe there's a way to make them look more appealing...top with another cracker?)
there HAS to be a way to make these more visually appealing...er, sandwich them?
Dip the whole thing in chocolate!!! Better looking too!
Excited to try this! I love cookies/treats that incorporate Ritz crackers - it's a weakness.
I'm sorry, I'm sure they're delicious but they look awful! I don't think I could get past their appearance. At first glance I thought it was congealed bacon grease. I like the sandwich idea.
I think we should cover them in chocolate.
I'm sorry but this looks like something that a stoner would prepare late at night.
I'm a sucker for sweet/salty treats, so I think I'll like these very much. Thank you for sharing this treasured family recipe, Faith. The fact that your family continues to make these cookies by the hundreds for every family gathering tells me much more about them than their appearance does.
I have discovered that aesthetics is not always important. Seriously, some of my ugliest foods are the tastiest. I love foods that create a memory. I hope I'm doing that with my kids. I remember making biscuits with my grandmother and I will forever love and remember her through my food. Oh and your description "cooked down into a jammy, milky date paste" how could you not love that?! They sound delicious!
These look absolutely mouth-watering! I love sweet-and-salty desserts, and anything with condensed milk. Bookmarking this recipe now.
I'd skip the glaze, to be honest. The date-nut mix is already plenty sweet, what with the sweetened condensed milk on top of the dried fruit.
Well Faith, you haven't steered me wrong yet! I made a batch this morning and just tasted my first! They're exactly as you said, first cinnamon/sweet and then nutty/salty. No... they are not lovely but as it's said...beauty is more than skin deep.
And if you're thinking of leaving out the glaze... don't... it's what helps give this cookie it's complex taste.
I'm taking these to a potluck house concert tonight. I'm going to label the ingredients and I'll see how they go over. Report to follow.
One more thing... When I made the glaze I ended up using more cinnamon and less milk than what was in the recipe. I used a rounded 1/4 t. cinnamon and about 2 T. whole milk. (I like my glaze fairly thick.) Anyway... I added the vanilla between the first and second tablespoon of milk. That way I knew the glaze wouldn't be too thin.
Final result... every cookie went! ... despite their looks. One of the other guests called them "scary addicting". I may not make them for every occasion but since they're so fast and easy to prepare this recipe is a keeper.
@burrda2000 yay! Glad you liked them. Thanks so much for the feedback. And yes, they are scary addicting!
Hey Rosebud spoken like a true stoner.
Found another recipe for these on line. It was basically the same but with a recipe for cream cheese frosting. I made them tonight for a party I am attending tomorrow. It really helps make them look a lot less like a treat for cats... Frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate with pecans or maraschino cherries if desired. These freeze well.
2 c. powdered sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Milk, to thin to desired consistency
Few drop yellow food coloring (opt.)
Mix ingredients together.
Oops! Forgot to say that I used the cream cheese frosting INSTEAD of the glaze. Enjoy.


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Brophy's defense looked very good, except on the one long run from Bishop Gorman. Offense still needs work, but it's very early. Gorman being a quality, it was a good start for the Broncos.
it was a good game.
Go Broncos!
I missed this game, looking forward to azcentral's coverage of all the games this week.
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